In this day and age it often gets to the point in the interview process when you have had a great meeting with the Hiring Manager and are invited to a “meet the team”-style interview where you will get exposure to the people you’ll be working with if you decide to join the company.
These sorts of interviews are normally and hopefully much more informal than previous ones and they definitely give you the chance to get a good feel for the culture of the business, as well as allowing your future co-workers to see if you are likely to be a good fit.
They can often be quite interesting meetings, so that is why We have come up with some tips on how to blow them away when faced with the difficult “meet the team” interview.
Don’t Be Lured Into A False Sense Of Security
It does depend on the type and style of the interview, you might find yourself in a situation where you feel like you are just chatting with some nice friendly people – but beware!
While they may seem trustworthy and very happy to be mates, this could be an act to find out more information from you and for them to discover what you would really be like to work with.
Our number one tip would be to be friendly, but a little bit cautious. You definitely want to connect with these people, but you also don’t want to muck it up in the final stages.
Be Yourself – But Not Too Much!
Following on from the last point, whilst this interview is an opportunity to show off your personality and show them the “real you”, you have to keep your guard up and show the best possible version of yourself.
You will probably feel relaxed and sense that you can share things with your new prospective co-workers – but they really don’t need to know about those all night dance parties that you go to at the weekend or indeed that you got fired from one of your jobs for always being late!
Be mindful and ensure you still treat this as a professional interview and stop yourself from telling them anything you wouldn’t want your boss to find out.
Don’t Drink Too Much
Occasionally, these sort of interviews will take place in a bar or restaurant to take the more formal edge off the situation.
However, this is scary ground as a lot of your potential colleagues will be taking this as an opportunity to indulge in a drink or two – so do you drink or stay sober?
Well, it’s really up to you, but definitely don’t have more than one drink. Do you really want your co-workers’ first impression of you to be drunk you? Didn’t think so!
Show An Interest In Your Potential Co-Workers
Even though this situation is all about getting to know you as a person, it’s also a fantastic chance for you to ask some questions about the people you may be working with.
People really love it when someone takes an interest in them, and it shows that you have a real interest and enthusiasm for working with them and at the business.
Now, we are not talking about questions like “What star sign are you?” or “Are you single?”, but asking them how long they have worked for the company, why they like it so much and what the culture is really like – questions like this are perfectly fine.
Good Luck!!
